


The Question

by CarleyT



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Spoilers for Episode: s05e18 A Single Pale Rose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 22:17:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14680587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarleyT/pseuds/CarleyT
Summary: Ruby asks Sapphire a very important question.(Directly following the promo after a Single Pale Rose)





	The Question

Garnet was frozen. She had no idea what to think, she couldn't. When Steven had popped out of Pearl's gem and uttered the words, "mom was Pink Diamond," she felt her hands fly up to her mouth in shock. Amethyst was freaking out beside her, but Garnet was speechless.

"Let's move this to the uhm...couch," Pearl muttered. 

Amethyst went to go sit, and Garnet could feel herself stiffly moving over there. She needed answers, immediately. 

"Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond?" Amethyst blurted out, causing Steven and Pearl to look at each other, and then back at the group and sadly nod their heads. Well, Steven looked sad, Pearl looked guilty and upset.

Amethyst whistled in shock. 

Garnet could feel herself shaking. "NO! It-it isn't true. She wasn't-she couldn't have been..." but it was slowly starting to make sense, the secrets and Rose's abilities. Garnet briefly wondered why she hadn't seen it before, why her future vision hadn't seen it coming. She could feel the two sides of her pulling apart. No, scratch that, one side was trying to keep her together, causing her to shake even more as she jumped up from the couch. In a bright light, Ruby and Sapphire fell violently to the ground.

Ruby quickly got up as Sapphire ran to the warp pad.

The others looked on in surprise. 

"Sapphire, where are you going?" Ruby asked, panic lacing her voice. 

Sapphire whirled around. "I have to get away Ruby!"

"But-" Ruby began.

"She lied to us!" Sapphire shouted, pure rage in her words. Sapphire jumped onto the warp pad and closed her eyes. 

"Sapphire, wait!" Ruby called. Sapphire could tell she was crying, or at least on the verge of doing so. She herself could feel a tear coursing down her cheek as the light engulfed her form and whisked her away. 

Ruby spun around on Pearl, but Steven quickly jumped in, already predicting what would happen.

"She couldn't tell anyone. Mom put a seal on her and forbid her from talking about it Ruby. She wanted to tell everyone, but she physically couldn't. None of this is her fault," Steven explained, defending Pearl.

Ruby huffed, scrubbing the tears from her face. She began pacing in front of the warp pad, muttering and cursing under her breath. 

Pearl looked crestfallen as she sank to the couch. She hadn't wanted any of this to happen. Amethyst followed her lead, sitting next to her on the couch.

Steven shook his head, he needed some fresh air. So he hopped onto the warp pad and disappeared as well, leaving behind an angry pacing ruby, a confused quartz, and a sad pearl.

******

Sapphire found herself in the place where it all began. She could remember it all so clearly, 5,751 (it has definitely been at least a year since Garnet told Steven the story in the Answer) years wasn't that long to a gem. The cave was dark but inviting and Sapphire sat on the ground, ignoring the ice that climbed the walls like ivy. 

She couldn't understand Rose's choices. What was the gain? They lost so much because of it. What was the war even for? Why hadn't she seen it coming? She wasn't even mad at Pearl, even though she wanted to blame the two of them for this. She understood why Pearl couldn't say anything. That sent a splurge of ice all over the floor. How could she even do that to Pearl? She was all about freedom and being your own gem, but she silenced the one person who had the most faith in her.

Sapphire felt cold for once, the ice surrounding her. She was normally good about controlling her emotions, but this revelation threw her for a loop she wasn't expecting. She couldn't even see what the future would hold. Was fusion all for nothing? Sapphire shook her head violently. NO! No, she never regretted fusing with Ruby for a second. She never regretted fusion, period. She felt bad, leaving Ruby behind, but she just needed to be alone with her thoughts.

She just wished it hadn't come to this. She couldn't see the point in any of it anymore. She had admired Rose Quartz, fought beside her, was friends with her, but it was all a ruse. Did she even care about them? Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, any of the others? 

A day or two must have gone by. Sapphire saw without seeing the sun rise and set. 

The cave was full of ice, and Sapphire was cold all over. The thoughts swarming in her head were buzzing around like angry bees.

Ruby, after searching two days for Sapphire, couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to not check this location first. She saw the ice trail leading from the warp pad to the cave where it all started. She followed it, afraid of what she would find, but happy that she finally found her other half. She was so worried that Sapphire was truly gone and that Ruby wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

She looked into the cave and saw Sapphire sitting in ice. The bottom of her dress to her thighs were encased in it. Ice surrounded the walls and the cave was frigid.

"Sapphire?" Ruby asked gently, not wanting to scare her.

Sapphire gave nothing away that she was even listening. She was a million miles away, trying to look for clues, hints she might have missed throughout the years.

"Saph," Ruby tried again, a bit louder before giving up and walking into the cave. She sat by her side and watched her in silence. After a decent amount of time went by, Ruby made a grab for her hand, which was held closely to her chest. "Sapphire please, talk to me. I'm here."

When the warm hand was placed into her cold one, Sapphire felt the tempest in her turn into just a rainstorm. The warm hand squeezed hers and Sapphire squeezed back. 

"I'm sorry I left," Sapphire whispered.

Ruby's laugh was watery. "S'okay, I don't blame you for wanting some space. I was just hoping you weren't mad at me, or you know...rethinking fusion..." The thought was an eerie echo to Sapphire's own. She wondered if Ruby had thought about fusion too.

Sapphire looked at her, and put a hand on the red gem's cheek. "No, I have never regretted fusing with you, or fusing in general, and I never will. I am just upset and confused right now."

Ruby nodded. "I understand that feeling." Ruby had been feeling it to, but she supressed her own thoughts for now, her sole focus being on the gem next to her, the other half of her. She was relieved the blue gem wasn't questioning being together, even though she knew that would never even be the case, they both loved one another. "No matter what Rose...Pink Diamond? Ugh, whatever her name was...no matter what she did or why, we are still in this together, we have been through so much together, and...well we can get through this together.

Sapphire returned the smile, putting her forehead on Ruby's shoulder. The ice behind them began to melt and retract as the pair sat in silence. They could hear bees buzzing, birds chirping, and other noises of nature.

"Sapphire..." Ruby started, rubbing small circles into Sapphire's gloved hand.

"Hmmm?" Sapphire hummed in response. Her eyes were closed, and she was feeling calmer than she had been in a few days. Ruby always did that though. They balanced each other out and made each other feel safe and calm.

"When I was looking for you, I uhm, started thinking about when Steven's relative came to the barn and we had that food celebration."

Sapphire picked her head up and was watching Ruby through her curtain of hair. She tilted her head a little, unsure of where Ruby was going with this. "What brought that up?" Sapphire laughed. It felt good to do so after being so worked up and angry.

Ruby scrunched her eyebrows. Was she...sweating? "We-well I mean, we had that wedding cake thing, the one people eat when they become united. And I was just thinking about how humans got married when they found the one they loved and wanted to be with forever."

Sapphire was listening intently. She had no idea why Ruby was thinking about that or what even brought it up, but Ruby's voice was starting to get squeaky like it always did when she was getting nervous.

"Well, we have been together for thousands of years. For gems, fusion is like being united, especially if it's with the one you love. But...I was wondering...if maybe you would want to...what I am saying is...ugh I am not doing this right," Ruby groaned, getting up and pulling Sapphire to her feet also. Taking a note from the shows she sometimes watched with Steven, Ruby got down on one knee and held tightly to Sapphire's hand, which was now shaking slightly as the blue gem realized where this was going.

 "Sapphire, we have been through so much together, we've grown and learned and loved and lost, but I want to experience more with you, whatever comes, I want to do it together. I love just being with you. I love you...and I know this doesn't matter, it's a silly human ritual but," Ruby took a deep breath to gather her confidence. This really was hard to do. Garnet thought the human actors were just being dramatic for the entertainment of the viewers. "Sapphire, would you, I mean could you? Gah, I am messing this all up." Ruby shook her head. "What I mean is, Sapphire...will you marry me?"

Sapphire gasped, and then smiled. She parted her bangs and Ruby could see the tears gathering there, but they were happy tears. Ruby could feel tears gathering in her own eyes as well, and she let them spill. 

Sapphire nodded her head, drawing Ruby in for a hug. She didn't know what would happen in the future, but as long as she had her Ruby, she knew she could get through it.

Ruby chuckled, arms wrapped tightly around the blue gem. "Is that a yes?" She could feel Sapphire nod. "I don't really have a metal thing to give you," Ruby admitted sheepishly.

"We dont need one," Sapphire responded into Ruby's neck. 

"I believe this is the part where we kiss then?" Ruby asked.

Sapphire laughed and pulled back. She gave Ruby a little smirk and said, "yeah, I can do that," before leaning in and placing a kiss on Ruby's lips.  
   
Ruby picked her up, both of them still lip-locked and twirled her around. 

Garnet stepped out of the cave into the warm sunlight. Things at home were still a mess and she was still angry that Rose lied to them, but nevertheless, she couldn't stop the wide smile that graced her lips. She felt as if she were dancing on air.

**Author's Note:**

> I got this inspiration from awestruckvox at the roundtable during one of his videos when he mentioned the Ruby and Sapphire doll things dressed up in wedding garb (forgot what the doll things are called). He makes great theory videos on Youtube. 
> 
> I was obsessed with the idea of them getting married and idky because they are gems and Ruby and Sapphire have been together for centuries but oh well. I know it started angsty, but it got happier at the end. I hope you enjoyed, this is probably the last thing I will write for now, and then I just have to sit and wait for more episodes. Hurry up summer!


End file.
